1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vehicle accessories and multi-purpose tools.
2. Background Information
Pickup trucks are clearly designed, first and foremost, for work. Despite the trendiness of owning a pickup truck, even if one never leaves the city, countless people use their pickup trucks as they were intendedxe2x80x94to move things to and from work sites and, in many cases, to carry out work itself (such as by hauling, pulling, and otherwise moving or supporting people and equipment.
As will shortly become readily apparent as relevant to the present invention, one fact relating to pickup trucks is that, for practical purposes, the bed can really never be too big. One can always use a few extra square feet, and anything that consumes bed space diminishes the utility of the pickup truck.
Related to the useful space concerns of pickup truck users is the fact that ramps and/or work platforms (tables, saw horses, etc.) are often involved in carrying out the work of pickup truck owners. If these things are carried in the truck bed (as they presently are), important (and limited) bed space is consumed thereby, in some cases, requiring multiple trips to get everything needed from one place to another.
Clearly, there are ways to carry things (including ramps and work platforms) which either will not fit within a pickup truck bed, or which would best not consume bed space. These options (trailers, side-mount hooks, or overhead frames for supporting items above the bed) are, however, not particularly pleasing from an aesthetic standpoint and, in the case of trailers, not always present when needed. Modification of a pickup truck to include side hooks and overhead frames tend to diminish the re-sale value of the vehicle.
It would be of considerable interest and benefit to working pickup truck owners to have available some system or apparatus which, while providing the functionality of ramps and a working platform, essentially consumes no bed space, yet remains with the pickup truck and ready for use at all times.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved lift bed for pickup trucks.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved lift bed for use with pickup trucks, which improved lift bed serves multiple purposes, in addition to simply enclosing the rearward bed perimeter.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved lift bed for use with pickup trucks, which improved lift bed is convertible between alternatively useful configurations.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved lift bed for use with pickup trucks, which improved lift bed is convertible between configurations for service as a lift bed, one or more ramps, and a working platform (table or scaffold).
In satisfaction of these and related objects, the present invention provides a pickup truck lift bed assembly which is convertible between a first configuration for service, essentially, as a conventional lift bed (without consuming any material amount of bed space), a second configuration where all or a portion of the assembly serves as one or two ramps for rolling items in and out of the pickup truck bed, and a third configuration where working platforms are provided.
By providing a lift bed assembly which such capabilities, one need not consume valuable pickup truck bed space with ramps or working platforms, yet will always have these things available when needed. Furthermore, the assembly of the present invention is very easily secured to the pickup truck in a manner which, as compared to ramps and working platforms simply residing in the pickup bed between uses, is much less likely to be stolen.